1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mass storage data protection system, and more particularly, to a mass storage data protection system for use with a mass storage device in a gaming machine to protect the mass storage device from unauthorized commands.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Regulations within the gaming industry have historically proscribed “writable” memory devices for the storage of computer codes that control the payoff aspects associated with a gaming machine. These code routines are so critical to operation that their corruption, either accidentally or deliberately, could result in cheating players. If such corruption occurred, even infrequently, it could pose a significant threat to the integrity of gaming operations. The storage of these codes is typically handled by a less volatile type of memory device, such as a ROM or EPROM.
As the gaming industry moves toward game designs that utilize more multimedia style game presentation, the need for increased memory storage for game codes, graphics, sound, video etc., grows dramatically. Quickly, the use of EPROM style devices for data storage is becoming a significant burden and hindrance to the development of the gaming machines with enhanced capabilities. The use of cost effective, higher density mass storage devices will thus become necessary.
In the personal computer industry, the need for large amounts of nonvolatile mass storage has not been nearly as significant. In fact, the opposite scenario is actually occurring. Current personal computer operating systems rely on the fact that data can be stored on the mass storage devices such as hard disks. This allows these operating systems to support virtual memory configurations, storage of recent web sites visited, storage of temporary recovery files in the event of a power interruption, etc.
In earlier generations of hard disk drives that utilize the intelligent drive electronics (IDE) style of system interface, it was not uncommon for these drives to be equipped with write protection jumpers to allow the disk to be write protected against data loss or modification. As the need for cost reduction in the computer industry increased, these jumpers were eliminated since the primary personal computer operating systems do not require them. Thus, in today's market, it is nearly impossible to find an IDE disk drive (the industry's most cost effective mass storage solution) that includes a write protection jumper.